she's got a smoking barrel for a heart
by peodbears
Summary: she's gonna leave you breathless, her fingers ghosting over your heart while you're still trying to catch onto that light falling from her lips with each word she molds her lips around. she's gonna leave you panting, writhering on the floor and begging for mercy, bitting into your heart to keep her from taking it. you'll realise it's all too late. you're already worshipping her.
1. i breath of life

There are times in everyone's life when they've just gotta wake the fuck up, go to the mirror in the most non-robotic way, splash some water on their faces along with a smile and pretend that everything is ok, they're still got the grasps of the situation in their hands and that nothing is going to go wrong today, just like it hasn't gone yesterday. And despite it being a lie, they've gotta chew it, enjoy it and get accustomed to the foul taste before they digest it, simply because there's no other way they could keep their heads above the water, just enough for it not to enter into their lungs through their noses and slowly built up a death that would be anything but merciful in their last moments of living.

This is exactly what the well-known gang of Mystic Falls along with a few new additions have been doing for a while now, today being no different. They're not even sure if they _want_ it to be different from yesterday. They're used to it now, they know how to handle all of it, the pain, the carnage, the blood and the deaths, but happiness is something that makes you fearful of losing it, makes you decided on the things you once scorned and they are anything but emotionally stable, so it's out of the question for something like that to be on their wishlist for the next year or so, at least until they figure out how to stop getting from one shit hole to another.

Sitting at the Grill, playing with their fries and cracking the same ol' jokes that have run their course while trying to mask their bored expressions has become some sort of routine for them. They're not even surprised anymore when Klaus enters the local with his sister at his arm, looking just as breathtaking as they remember them to be and just as bored as them, making them almost flash a condescending smile at the sight, taking pleasure in knowing they are not spared of the feeling of feeling tremendously out of place. Things between the two sides of the supernatural world have been quite calm, even friendly on certain days when none of them were purposely annoying each other in hopes the reaction they draw out of their victim is gonna star another drama. But nevertheless, they still have then tensed air around them whenever they see each out, out of habit squinting their eyes and looking at each other in question, waiting for the carnage to begin.

Klaus gives them a nod of acknowledgement as he passes by their table, Damon reciprocrating the gesture. Rebekah does nothing as she's too busy craning her neck to catch a glimpse of her new human who is the object of her affection, quickly pulling herself away from the warmth of her brother as she walks to the end of the pub where Matt is cleaning a table with what could only be describe as a grim look on his face, definitely not pleased with the way his night is going. He would much rather be at a table getting drunk and growing more and more bored with each second than putting on friendly smiles and dealing with those who have the luxury of getting completely smashed. The hybrid merely shrugs at his sister's behavior, not being bothered at all by her sudden change and lack of compassion towards him, slipping into one of the chairs at the bar and ordering the strongest drink they have on the shelf, drumming his fingers against the cool surface of the countertop as he waits for it, trying to drown the sounds in the background that are much louder than they are supposed to be.

It is definitely what one would call an usual night in Mystic Fall.

Only that, not long after the two Originals have settled and everyone went back to their previous actions, the door of the Grill swings open, reveling a face that has certainly missed in the crowds and that of the way too giddy vampire with the name of Brandon who has somehow dug his way into the residents' hearts and has become quite the friend, if somebody could say that. To say that they are pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The tall vampire of Viking origins makes his way to the table where the gang of the town that has taken upon themselves to solve the supernatural problems are sitting, almost skipping and tripping over a few extended legs, completely forgetting for a very few seconds that he isn't human. He's all smiles and shiteating grins, something they have grown used to during the months they have worked together, trait they have grown to love even if they hated it the first time they met them. He doesn't even bother to apologise when he pushes Jeremy with his hip on the bench to make place for him, knowing he doesn't need to. But, something inside of them tells that that this isn't just a visit for the sake of old bonds and there's something more to his behavior, something that makes me shake in jubilation more than usually and again, they are unsure about their feelings towards this matter.

"Spill it." Of course, Damon is the first one to cut the chase, taking a sip of his bourbon and looking at the vampire that just isn't pouting with an expecting look, waiting for him to spill the beans. Brandon sometimes hates Damon's hidden capability of being able to read him so easily, although he is quite sure he's just that fucking easy that everyone who has spent some of their time with him would be able to do so.

"Must you really shit on my parade, asshole?" His reply comes in a flat, slightly annoyed tone that is accompanied by a very expect roll of the eyes as he huffs and takes the glass with the gut-wrenching alcohol he detests, drowning it in one shot, not even grimacing when it burns his throat slightly. After making sure his voice wouldn't waver because of the alcohol, he takes a deep breath, looking around the room and nodding towards the hybrid, no smile on his face. He has yet to forgive him for trying to stake him a few months ago, pretty sure he won't let go of the resent he holds towards him very soon.

"Fucking fine. Listen, guys, I kind of need you to do me a favour." That certainly wasn't something any of them would've expected to come from him. Brandon is well-known for keeping everything private. Despite him having helped them with their problems with the Original family and the rogue hybrids, he never revealed much about himself, thing they found quite worrying at first. Not to mention extremely suspicious. So for someone like him to say something like that, was certainly a surprise. It always piqued their interest and suddenly, all of them leaned forward, listening carefully to what he had to say, thing he found both endearing and annoying.

"A friend of mine is coming to town and she needs to stay somewhere. The house she was supposed to live in hasn't quite been finished." A friend. It shouldn't have been a surprise. Brandon is a likeable figure with a kind personality that just rubs on you, an acquired taste, really. But it's not the fact that he has other friend than them that leaves them completely stunned, it's the fact that not only is he mentioning them, he is asking of them to take care of them and offer them a roof above their heads, meaning they will meet her, meaning they're gonna learn something about him, meaning they have absolutely no idea how the fuck to respond to that one.

Sure, they will agree to it eventually considering they have quite the debt to pay him for having helped them when he wasn't involved in the equation, but they have to find the words to say that and it's proving itself to be a fucking incredible task.

"Well?" Brandon says impatiently, cracking his knuckles to keep himself from shaking in expectation. For a second he worries they won't agree to it. The last thing he wants is to disappoint Cerise. He hates it when she has that look on her face that reminds him of a kicked puppy left in the pouring rain after its owners abandoned it. Yeah, it's that goddamn worse.

"I—well, sure. I suppose." Elena is the first to regain her composure, nodding her head with each word, still trying to wrap her head around the implications of his words and the consequences of her own response. They don't know much about Brandon, truth be told and they certainly know jackshit about this friend of his they have suddenly accepted taking care of, so there's nothing much to think about. But she still does.

"Great! Knew I could count on you,", he claps his hands, happy with the response he got. "She's gonna arrive in two days, I think. I won't be able to stay here and welcome her since I've got some business to attend in Germany. Don't worry about her! She doesn't need much protection and you won't have to play the normal card around her. She's as human as one can be." He says it as if he hasn't dropped a bomb, already getting up and heading towards the door with a victorious smirk on his face that makes Elena slightly think she should've thought about her answer a little bit more.

She doesn't have the time to take back her words as the vampire disappears just as sudden as he appeared and they are left in complete silence, trying to make sense of the things that have happened in the span of just a few seconds, failing to realize this is the beginning of the most thrilling and frightening rollercoaster they would get on in their entire life.

Klaus merely smirks, thinking that finally, something exciting is happening in the dormant town that has fallen under the invisible spell of silence and normalcy, taking one more sip from his glass. He fails to realize he's gonna board the rollercoaster as well.

And just like that, the routine was broken and they're back on the road they just got off of. They don't seem to find it a bothering fact, even if they should. They got that angst in their blood and it's hard to change it.


	2. ii credit cards and dreaded phone calls

Brandon's words ring in their heads for the rest of the night, and the following day, up until night when they meet up again at the Grill and drown the same beverage and eat the same shit, still wondering how exactly they can still find something tasty in it. They replay the scene in their heads, trying to find some underlined meaning in them, but find none. They think their reaction is something that shouldn't surprise them. They're been away from danger for a while and the thrill of the adventure isn't something so easily forgotten, now is it?

They didn't prepare much for her anticipated arrival, barely talked about it during the day. They are all sitting on the couches in the Salvatore manner, most with a glass of something in their hands and staring at each other, waiting for one of them to finally break the silence and say something, anything, that would mark the disappearance of the dreaded state of nothing. Caroline has been, without a doubt, the most enthusiastic one out of them all, for completely different reasons. While she adores her friends and has proved that she will go to hell and back for their safety, she can't help but feel suffocated because of their dramas they always pull her in, even if she doesn't really have anything to do with them and the prospect of having another female she could bond with, someone fresh with different thoughts and issues, made her extremely peppy. "Now that we are all here, how about we decide which of use will offer housing to our guest?"

Her slightly high-pitched voice broke the silence, the rest of the gang being extremely thankful for that and muttering a small 'thank you' in her way as they straightened their posture, putting on a rather serious expression. It is, in the end, a very important matter they shall discuss, jokes aside. Brandon had played an important role in the battles they fought and the last they could do is be on their best behavior and prepared for when his treasured friend will reach town.

"They boys are by definition out of the equation. We don't need any of you to be all sleazy with her and traumatize her." Bonnie narrows her eyes, looking straight at Damon. The man can only roll his eyes at her, titling his head in the sarcastic way only he possesses.

"What makes you think she's hot enough for her to receive any of our attention? You're getting a little bit ahead of yourself, no?"

"Damon! She's not a piece of meat for you to talk about her that way!" Caroline's scandalized voice broke the eye-war the two of them head, making both of them to turn their heads in her direction. Caroline will stake them both if she must to ensure the comfort of the mysterious girl, because God knows how much they need something new and perhaps normal in their life.

"But Bonnie is right. You men are out of this." There's a pause shortly after the blonde's expression lights up, looking too alike a Christmas tree for Damon's comfort. "She's gonna stay with me!"

"I don't—" Damn speaks up to stop her before saying anything else only for him to end up being the interrupted one.

"Oh, it's gonna be perfect! We're gonna bond and watch movies and maybe go out shopping and she's gonna talk about her life and, Jesus, I feel so normal." She just doesn't clap her hands at the thought.

"Listen to me, Barbie. Not only are you a baby vamp and your control over your blood-lust is something extremely debatable, we don't need another you in town, thank you very much."

"Oh, screw you, Salvatore!"

"Been there, done that, didn't end well, did it?" His smug expression along with the truth his words hold make Caroline shut up, leaning against the couch with a defeated expression, arms crossed over her chest. "You know, I think Caroline is right. She's perfect for this, you know? Making someone feel at home? Besides, we can be there for her if anything gets out of control."

For once, she's glad Elena is part of this discussion. She can't help the twinkle of hope that glistens in her eyes as she leans forward, making sure to give everyone around the room her best impersonation of a kicked puppy that seems to do the trick after a few seconds when Damon sighs, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Fine! But don't come to me when Barbie here will become bat-shit crazy."

He barely got out of the way before the flying lump could make contact with his face.

/

They weren't given much time to prepare and most of it has been wasted on trying to come up with a strategy. Lucky for them, being a vampire does come with its perks, one of them obviously being getting things done faster than usually, thing they are now extremely grateful for, especially when Caroline has taken it upon herself to ensure the room in which their unexpected guest will reside is the epitome of beauty and luxury.

When the blonde vampire barged into the Salvatore's mansion with her friends on toe, nobody tried to act surprised. They've already foreseen her getting up at unholy hours, right when the shops will open to start buying furniture and whatnot, all with the handy fortune of the two brothers who didn't have much of a say in all of this, but whom didn't dare to be adamant about it. They all know exactly how scary she can be when somebody stays in her way once a plan is formed in that head of hers.

To say the hours spent solely on acquiring the required furniture were absolutely exhausting would be but an understatement. They barely have the time to catch their breath and lean against a shelf before Caroline pops out of fucking nowhere and drags them to the other side of the shopping complex, fingers clutched tightly around the black credit card. Damon is pretty sure that if he were human and had some type of attachment to money like most people do, he'd be crying his eyes out right now. He is also pretty sure the recipe will be long enough to be used as a belt around her waist.

Somehow, Damon found a new sort of respect towards Caroline's female friends who seem unaffected by her enthusiastic nature, as if this is a normal occurrence that no longer has an impact on them. He's not going to voice it out, however. He's got an image to protect.

"Do you think this is enough? Did we get everything we need?" the devil's voice interrupts his monologue and the blue-eyes vampire is tempted to roll his eyes at the concern in her voice.

"Trust me, Barbie, it's enough."

Caroline decides to trust him on this one and ushers all of them to the checking point. Stefan lets out a relieved sigh and his brother knows he's about to fall to his knees and thank whatever deity is ready to listen. He can't say he's not close to doing that too.

/

Once again, they found themselves being glad they have their vampire powers, for they would have never finished arranging the room without them, at least not before their guest would arrive. When all is done, they spoil themselves with some beers and cookies. For a while, the demon Caroline turned into is tame.

They are on her porch, leaning back in the plastic chair they have brought from inside the house, sighing and groaning when they move around and their muscles protest against the sudden action, yelling at them that after the torture they had received, they gotta stay still. This is definitely going on their list with the things they shall never repeat in their entire life.

"Now that we're done with that as well, we can finally call it a day." Caroline comes from the house, making a bee-line to the spot where Stefan is at, letting herself plop on his lap without hesitation. Damon can see the embarrassment burning in his eyes that thanks to her undead nature doesn't reflect on his face and he finds it endearing for a second, before he catches the pain that flashes on Elena's face for a second before she regains her composure. He feels sorry for her and feels sorry for Stefan as well. Things between Caroline and Elena have been everything but stable and the odd friendship his brother had going on with Klaus went straight to hell after Caroline has confessed her attraction towards Stefan while Klaus was trying to court her. Things—have been extremely messy.

None of them say anything for the rest of the night. Not that they could say anything when the tension finally caught up with them and is pressing harshly on their chest. Damon is pleasantly surprised that no fight erupted between the two girls. And slightly disappointed considering it would've been quite the sight.

/

"You know, you have had many stupid ideas, but this one takes the cake, man." Her voice is playful, holding amusement behind her words and Brandon can imagine her trying to balance the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she walks about the house, trying to find something to busy herself with. She's always had this habit and after so many years in each other's company, he finds it extremely endearing.

"You deserve to take a break, Cerise. When was the last time you went somewhere without having it to be for business?" There's a pause and the black-haired woman, Cerise, knows that there is no loop to escape through. He's got her there. In this moment she wishes he wouldn't know her as well as he does. She sighs, shuffling to the couch and taking the phone in her hand as she falls on it, moving around until she finds the perfect spot.

"You've got a point, alright. That doesn't mean that going to the place that was once known as the eye of the supernatural tornado is a bloody good idea." Her voice reflects the bemusement she's feeling. Brandon is a weird lad, something she has grown accustomed with and would never be able to imagine him being different, but sometimes, she really thinks he has some big issues with his logic.

"Look, I know that the location isn't the best, but the people there are great. They're the kind of persons you like: sad, broken, with a tear-jerking story to make people excuse their outrageous behavior, many issues, a sense for adventure and dark humour. What more could you ask for?" She would have thrown her pillow at him if he had been here. The playfulness in his voice is really starting to piss her off.

Cerise brings her hand to her brow, rubbing it with two fingers while contemplating her choices. She ends up sighing, admitting herself defeated. "Fine, but don't blame me if things take a different turn than the one you expect." Brandon doesn't have time to let out any victorious sounds for she has already ended the call, throwing the phone on the opposite couch and covering her face with a pillow before groaning in frustration. She will end up in a fucking ditch because of her friends.

After some more moments of self-loathing and growls, she jumps on her feet and goes to check her luggage again, just to make sure she has everything she needs. She pats her own shoulder when she realizes that she got everything from the first try and falls onto the bed face-first, trying to find the courage to get dressed and go to the airport to catch her flight to Virginia and ultimately, to the little town Brandon claims to be the best for a wicked vacation. While she agrees with the wicked part, she thinks that she will be everything, but relaxed considering her luck when it comes to such things. It's one of the reasons she has stopped trying to use her breaks to visit her world. She's simply a magnet for troubles.

"I am really going to regret this, aren't I?"

Cerise has absolutely no idea.


	3. iii glances, stares and calm voices

The fly was without exaggeration the shittiest she ever was on. Having to listen to kids yelling right and left while their parents did absolutely nothing to make them stop, be a witness to some drama a couple or two had going on wasn't what she had in mind when she first boarded the plane, believe it or not. Cerise regrets not having accepted Brandon's offer of giving her his private airplane to take her to Virginia, especially when not even after those horrendous hours the pain disappeared.

She leans her head on the window of her right as she watches her surroundings changing with each kilometer passed. She finds something relaxing in it and something nostalgic that makes her chest contract painfully the moment her thoughts take a turn for the worst, making her walls of positivity crumble to the ground in a mess of stone and lies. Cerise shakes her head, deciding to take her mind off the things that end up hurting her and plays with the zipper of her leather jacket, her favorite one that she had stolen from her brother's closet while he was away on a trip with his college mates.

Truth be told, she is anything but enthusiastic with this break. She doesn't have the energy in her to meet new people and be willing to create bonds with them, or try and find a place of her own in their little world without getting affected by the cliques established long before they even knew she existed. Such things are for people with a lot of time and patience and she's nothing like that. But her loyalty for Brandon makes her sigh and give it a chance, make her clench her teeth and make a battle plan for when she will finally meet her new acquaintances. Nothing could be worse than that trip to Russia she took a few years back that ended with her in a basement along with some really fucking creepy shapeshifters that thought she was the last one to carry the royal lineage of the Romanov's. That, without a doubt, remains her worst and most interesting adventure. She can't say she resents herself for going there or for accepting the offer of staying in one of her cousin's apartments in the Red Square for memories were made and she had more stories to tell when all of her gang gathered for a round of beers in a restaurant.

Cerise badly wishes that she won't get sucked in the supernatural drama the folks got going on while at the same time craves for some adventure, for some adrenaline and thrill to pump in her veins and make her choke on her own words, to make her writher in her own bed because she can't stay still with the impending danger knocking on her door. She's the one that flirts with Death in the morning and kisses it goodbye at night before she falls to her knees and worships some kind of God that never answers to her prayers, fact that never once before made her faith falter.

"Zach, right?" She nods in the way of the driver Brandon assigned to take her to Mystic Fall. "How much till we reach our destination?"

"Just a couple of hours. It all depends on the traffic, ya know?" Oh, she knows.

Cerise returns to her previous actions, leaning her head against the window without staring at her surroundings and playing with whatever is in her fingers' reach. This is gonna be a fucking long trip. Might as well take a nap to make sure she won't snap the first time she meets Brandon's friends.

/

Caroline is about to get an aneurysm. She's tapping her foot impatiently against the wooden boards of the floor, hands clasped together and resting on her knees as she waits for the minutes to pass by, to turn to hours. She's aware of the annoyed looks she's given, completely aware of the fact that the sound is bothering the majority of her friends that are with her in the room, thanks to their acute hearing they got when they turned into vampires, but she just can't contain her excitement. There's a possibility her life will turn into something much more, there's room for something new and she isn't going to act unaffected by the idea.

She's tempted to allow the scowl that threatens to break on her face be visible when she looks around the room and notices the amused expressions she's given. For some reason, the reactions for her friends anger her, make her feel something negative bubble in her throat. They're acting unimpressed, as if they're not at all curious about the identity of Brandon's friend, Brandon who had fought alongside them, who didn't talk once about his life or his friends and who suddenly popped up in their lives and announced the arrival of a dear friend of his who needs housing and company. The hypocrisy they are displaying in front of her eyes is something she shouldn't be surprised of. She can't, however, stop her body from reacting.

Caroline decides against voicing out her thoughts, resuming to scoffing and turning her head away from them, looking at the clock for the nth time that evening and trying to not think so much about the slow pace at which time passes, making her be filled with so much curiosity and dread, she's afraid it might spill from her head and drown her, transform into an anchor and drag her to the bottom of the pit her ribcage is.

She doesn't have time to process what's happening around her, or with her, when she hears the doorbell ring, breaking the eerie silence the house was previously enveloped in, for she hears a heartbeat, smells something so sweet, she jumps from the couch and is in seconds to the door, almost pulling it out of its hinges when she opens it, the biggest smile on her face.

At last, the guest is here.

/

The first thought that crosses Cerise's mind the moment she slams the door of the car shut is that this house would be absolutely perfect to film a horror movie in. The type of architecture the town of infecting your nightmares uses, throwing threatening shadows on the ground and screaming danger with each creek. She is, for the fifth time in the last hour, doubting her friend's decision and capability of making a good decision.

She has to force herself to take a mouthful of air, to feel her lungs with air and to make her heart beat at a slower pace, for she is afraid it might jump out of her chest the moment she will take her first step towards the house she direly hopes won't be the one to call home during her break. She lets her eyes roam around the property, allowing them to get used to the explosion of colours, crunching her nose at the million scents filling her nostrils, tickling them. She appreciates the fact that is surrounded by nature, making everything seem less gloomy, if she dares say.

She doesn't dwell on the details for much longer, in fear she might turn away, get back in the car and demand to be taken back to the airport. That's not something Brandon would be happy with, she knows. Considering how much he had prepared for this, she has to give his friends a chance before making any useless assumptions and coming out with the most terrifying scenarios.

It takes her almost twenty steps, five deep breaths and three clenching of her fists to reach the doorsteps of the mansion. She hesitates a little before pressing her forefinger against the bell, waiting patiently for somebody to open the door for her, which proves itself to be something she shouldn't have done for she almost falls on her back when the door is opened with such force she's afraid the person might be the one staring at God. Instead, she is faced with a petite blonde, smiling and screaming perfection and classiness from head to toe, the kind of woman you expect to see coming out of an expensive pent in the heart of the busiest cities of the world.

Cerise smiles back, the corners of her mouth curling upwards and gives the woman a little wave, as awkward as her entire approach, not quite knowing what to do. She expected them to take a little longer to answer the door, to give her some time to come up with a strategy, to form coherent sentences. She should've thought that they were vampires and that Brandon wouldn't have bonded with humans (he always insists on reminder her she's the solely exception that reinforces the rule; she can only roll her eyes every time and shut him up with a prompt punch to the shoulder that doesn't quite harm him but surely gives her the boost of satisfaction she needs).

"Uhm, hi!"

_Great,_ she thinks, making sure her smile doesn't falter, _that was the most brain-wrecking thing you could've come up with, huh? Glorious._

She doesn't have time to reprimand herself for her tactless action, because the woman wraps her fingers around her wrist and drags her into the house, closing the door behind them both with such force, she's absolutely sure the wall shook for a second. She worries for a second there that the ceiling will collapse on them, before she is met with enough pairs of curious eyes to make her shit her pants, not having expected this many people to await her. She will surely murder Brandon or at least inflict the maximum amount of pain the next time she meets him, to get back at him for having left out crucial details.

"Hi" she repeats, afraid for a second that they didn't hear her and for lack of a better approach.

Aaand—she's still incapable of properly functioning, only further reinforcing the idea that once she's surrounded by unknown people who have no business with her, her social skills fail her. She should really consider taking some classes in that department once she's back in her homeland, close to the spotlights and the screaming fans and close to her friends she surely knows she has to put no act for them.

But until that is going to be a possible feat, she will have to grit her teeth and hope for the best.

/

Caroline is bouncing, or at least close to doing so. The petite woman, although extremely awkward and shy is everything she had imagined her to be the first time she heard of her coming to town. She's not the tallest one she has seen, but she appreciates the length of her legs that are beautifully cladded in some mountain boots she's pretty sure costs a fortune, the kind you see in magazines and clench your jaw tightly when you look inside your wallet.

She has an oval face, big doe-eyes that reflect the emotions of those in the room religiously, oceans spilling from the corners of them, showing exactly how the world is going. Care makes a mental note to compliment her on them as a way to strike a conversation, slowly building it up to something much more intelligent and consistent.

She can feel her hesitation, taste her shyness on the rooftop of her mouth. She decides to somehow encourage her by softly placing her hands on her shoulders, pushing her forward a little bit. Caroline gives Cerise a sheepish smile when she jumps slightly at the contact, turning her head and throwing her a questioning look. She can understand where she's coming from, not finding her actions weird at all. They're all strangers to her and she's a stranger to them, but they've got each other to ease the mood and make sure they don't embarrass themselves too much whilst she has absolutely no one. The fact that they are supernatural beings who mostly depend on the blood of those still breathing doesn't really work in their favour, either.

She stifles the giggle that threatens to come out when she hears her talking, throwing a very angry glare in Damon's direction, who, had the audacity to fucking scoff at the newcomer. She looks over Cerise's shoulder, giving her an eye-smile to make her go on. She watches her sway from leg to leg, shifting her leg and thinking of her next sentence. She allows her to slip into her thoughts, gives her whatever amount of time she needs for she knows, she goddamn knows how hard it is to find yourself in a different world with different people to surround you.

"I want to apologize for my sudden arrival. Brandon should've given you more time to prepare and get used to the idea of me being here. He's known to being extremely impulsive." Her voice is calm, it doesn't waver despite the emotions Caroline is sure are overwhelming her entire being. She speaks in a low tone. She wants to think she's doing so in order not to injure their ears, taking into consideration their hypersensitive hearing. She's already in love with the girl.

She decides to take matters into her own hands, to make the mood less tensed, and so, she takes a few steps back, breaking the contact with the girl and claps her hands, letting out overly excited noises. She stares at her friends without pausing her actions to warn them to act nice. She's not one to do such things, but she's just too happy right now to allow anyone to screw it up for her once more.

They seem to have gotten the hint as they start to introduce themselves one by one, showing some consideration and not coming all at her at once and overwhelm her with the waves and waves of names. She considers buying some treats once Cerise isn't with them in the room to congratulate them on the seemingly welcoming behavior.

/

It was awkward. No, it was even more than that. Cerise groans, banging her head against the window of the cab Caroline flagged halfway to her house after the meeting was done. She should've been more outgoing, perhaps smile a little more and not think as much, maybe crack a joke here and there to lighten up the mood, but she was just so caught up in her own thoughts about her next action and about how she will have to completely change her schedule to fit theirs, that she just couldn't.

In retrospective, it was her biggest mistake. She's very much aware of the fact that her first impression was anything but stellar and that she did absolutely nothing to initiate some type of bond with any of them other than with Caroline who, really, did most of the work, thing for which she was and still is grateful. She thanks whatever god is out there that she's the one offering her a roof over her head and not some other person from her circle of friends, for it would've been so awkward, Cerise being all stiff and giving off the unwelcoming vibes, she's sure her time in this little town would've been seriously doomed.

When the car comes to a halt, making her slightly fall forward and bang her head against the passenger's seat in which Caroline is, she looks out of the window and stares at the house she will have to call home for the next two months or so, depending on how much Brandon sees fit for her to take a vacation from her work. She grabs her bag from her left, opens the door and steps out of the car, taking in a deep breath and turning her head to face Caroline who has the biggest smile she has ever seen on her face. She can't help but mirror her, muttering under her breath (without minding the fact that Caroline must have heard her for sure) that it's all going to be ok, she's going to be ok.

"Let's do this, yeah?"


	4. iv: in the name of something new i drink

Cerise refuses to answer any of Brandon's calls or text back, deciding that the best way to show her frustration is to put a stop to their usual conversations and let him boil in his own juices while wondering what in the world is happening in that little town he basically forced her into. Caroline surprisingly agrees with her plan and does the same, giving him vague answers and always avoiding spilling any of the details concerning her guest, always making sure to be in the same room as Cerise, watching in amusement as she almost chokes on the laughter she's trying to contain.

The second Caroline ends the call and lowers the phone from her ear, Cerise is close to rolling onto the floor and Caroline soon follows suit, coming up to her and wrapping her arms around her figure as they laugh. At first, our dear heroine was more than surprised at how touchy her host is, at how much physical contact she initiates, but after some hours of feeling her body mold around her own, she finds the action endearing, so close to being something natural she finds it extremely odd when Caroline is out and about and not there with her to catch her by surprise with one of the bear hugs she made sure to give her at least three times a day.

She's thankful, more so than words can ever convey towards Caroline who had taken her into her house and trusted her enough to give her a spare key and leave her home alone without minding the impediment danger looming around every corner of the town. Cerise doesn't know what she would have done if someone other than her had been her host, for she feels no particular attraction towards any of her friends, thing she made quite clear on the first night in the house, after both of them finished placing everything on the shelves and in the wardrobe, while they were on her bed and talking about nothing and surprisingly everything at the same time. She felt like her heart might explode when she realized she let her true feelings slip, but Caroline waved her hand in dismissal and continued on with the conversation, thing Cerise will never forget.

It's not that she is adamant about conversing with any of them or establishing any sort of relationship between them, considering the action fruitless. It's just that, if she were to be absolutely honest, she would rather spend her entire vacation with just Caroline. Their reaction to her arrival didn't fall to blind eyes and while she chose to appear clueless about their behavior, it doesn't mean it didn't affect her opinion on them. She had never expect a grand welcoming party for her, or presents or anything like that, but she did however expect a less hostile environment to live in and step into, thing she was obviously not granted. She is still able to hear the blue-eyes male scoffing when she talked, making her want to shrink and disappear right then and there if possible.

Caroline on the other hand, has done everything in her powers and beyond to ensure she felt at home with her. She is a ball of positivity and sarcasm, wrapped in beauty and classiness, something she dearly appreciates. They've avoided talking about exactly how Caroline ended up on the supernatural sides of things with a heart-wrenching blood-lust she still has some slight problems controlling, for the sake of the mood. Cerise can even say she has grown quite close to her, close enough to know she is just the right person she needs to keep her sanity in place whilst in here, the one person she will allow to get close to her, so close she could curl around her heart and gnaw at her ribs without Cerise digging her nails in her flesh in an attempt to pull her out of there, to liberate herself from her. She always very much appreciates she didn't insisted on getting out of the house and has gone with the flow and remained with her on the couch to watch some movies, listen to some music and simply co-exist in the same house while learning small things about each other for the past three days.

Cerise shouldn't be surprised that not one of her friends made an attempt at trying to initiate some type of contact between them and haven't stepped into the house at all, not even called Caroline to ask about her. But she is, because she trusts Brandon and he said they are good people, mannered and interesting enough to pique her interest and keep her entertained for the length of her journey, things she believes to be false right now.

She finds that incredibly difficult to come to terms with for she is alone in the big house, Caroline nowhere in sight. Her friends have pursued her into coming out of it and going to town with them. Caroline, of course, insisted on dragging Cerise with her, but the timing was off for she was in the shower and still had a lot to do before she could even think about making her debut in town. She had ushered her out of her house, after having promised her she will go to the Grill once she was finished, and returned to her lukewarm bubble bath. She has no excuses for falling asleep in the bathroom, other than saying that it was heavenly. Nor does she has any for pacing in front of her bed whilst her phone was blowing up with phone calls and worried text messages that turned threatening after a while, all from Caroline. What in the world could she have said to her to explain her obvious absence? Nothing.

She got dressed, as casual as possible without giving off the impression that she's trying too hard to get herself liked, put on some basic makeup she learned from one of her stylists, the winged eyeliner giving her some problems for the wings were anything, but equal. Fortunately, after some more tries, they are now close to being identical. She tells herself that people won't be able to notice it, unless they go up in her face, thing she'd rather want to avoid.

Cerise brushes her hair, arranging a few strands of her hair in such way it would give off the impression she put on some effort in acquiring the look, slips into her sneakers and exists the house, taking some deep breaths of fresh air, wincing a little when the coldness of it burns her throat and lungs in an uncomfortable manner. She turns around, locking the house and hopping off the steps, going out in the street and trying to remember exactly what route she should take to reach the famous Grill. She could call a cab, but that would take away from the achievement of having reached it on her on while getting accustomed with the neighbourhood. So she lets out a sigh, pushes her chest out and starts going up the road, small smile on her face. This is going to be good.

/

Caroline is dangerously close to breaking something and she isn't sure of the table is going to end up her victim or one of her friends whom she is sure will survive the snapping of a neck. To say she is extremely worried and concerned about her new friend's safety is something that doesn't need to be vocalized. She has been unable to put down her phone for the last few hours, and while she is sure her friends are starting to get obviously annoyed with her behavior, she doesn't seem to find it in her to give a single fuck about them.

They think she's stupid, clueless with her head in the clouds, incapable of understanding hardship and sacrifices and still naïve enough to fall for big, blinding smiles that are coated in fakeness and cynicism. She knows that, she knows that and bares her teeth in the mirror whenever she remembers one of the incidents in which they talked to her in a slow manner, as if she were a child unable to fucking understand them if they were to do it otherwise. And yet, she never voices out her thoughts, never actually scoffs or gives any hints she might not be as fucking stupid as they make out of to be. She doesn't because that would ruin the balance between them and they would feel bad, and Caroline Forbes does not want to make anyone she ever remotely cares about feel bad because of her.

She orders her sixth whiskey with coke in the last hour, ignoring the flabbergasted expressions of her friends as she taps her fingers impatiently against the glass, looking around the bar with hope in her eyes, trying to catch sight of her friend. She cares about her, more than she thought she would. Maybe it's because she knew, knowing nothing about her traumas and having absolutely no reason to show her pity, or perhaps it is because she talks to her freely, about matters most of her friends avoid to engage in a conversation about with her. Most likely, the biggest factor is because she's acting with her as if she were human, as if she were seventeen and normal and a teenager who still has a life before her she is excited about.

The sound of the door to the Grill opening along with a very familiar cherry scent hits her, pulling her out of her thoughts and in a moment, she's up on her feet, almost sending the chair she was sitting on tumbling down as she jumps on her spot, running at human-sped to Cerise and enveloping her in one of her hugs she's thankful the girl has grown accustomed to. She smells of sweat, cherries and other exotic fruits and laughter, life and other things she can't put her finger on and it has an amazing effect on calming her down, soothing her nerves and making her forget about her worries for a split of a second. But Caroline Forbes isn't one to forget so easily about the hardships she had encountered just moment ago that were all caused about her absence and lack of response to her inquiries and so, she pulls away, knitting her eyebrows and glaring slightly at the petite female who is smiling sheepishly at her, also trying to regain her breath and stop herself from bending and putting her hands on her knees.

"What in the world kept you from getting here faster?" she says, taking another step back and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Uhm, lots of stuff. You know—choosing the appropriate clothes, doing my makeup and hair and don't even get me on how hard it was to get away from the bathtub. Jesus." Cerise waves her hands around as she speaks, her eyes glistening with enthusiasm. This is one of the numerous things she adores about the girl and how easily she can be pleased. Caroline sighs in defeat, hooking her arm around the girl's and pulling her towards the table her friends are at, dragging another chair with her for Cerise to sit on.

She places it right besides hers, pushing her down on it and taking her own place at the table, smile tattooed on her face. Finally, everything seems like fitting perfectly together.

/

She's nervous. She has a lot of reasons to be so. Not having talked to any of Caroline's friends for three days and basically having fallen off the face of Earth didn't do good to her case when she is expected of to make friends with them, thing she's gradually more and more inclined towards believing is an impossible task. They're not bad looking or bad people and they're close with Caroline which is a big plus in her eyes, but they are so adamant about being the first to take the step towards her, so adamant about openly welcoming her into their group that her confidence drops to the pits of hell whenever she faces them, this time being absolutely no different.

But of course, it is different. She has Caroline by her side, she's no longer alone and she can always turn to face her and only her and talk about stuff that aren't all that important but which entertain them greatly. She can always just say 'fuck it' and refuse to be friendly towards them and reflect their own behavior without feeling any guilt after it. She can always do that, but it doesn't mean that it has anything to do with her personality, with how she handles things. She's not a good person entirely, she has her flaw of which she is incredibly aware of, but she does like to be part of a community when she is force to live in a town and now she has someone to go to. And if she likes Caroline, she should at least try and like her friends as well. She can't be selfish and pull her away from her old circle, manipulate her into spending time with her, for she is aware that while she will have to go away at some point, away and back to her own life and friends, Caroline will remain here, will eventually go on with her life and if she severs the ties she has with the townfolks for her sake, Cerise will never be able to forgive herself.

And thus, Cerise curls her lips in a tiny, warm smile as she lets herself take in the appearance of the people around her, take in their expressions. They're not extremely welcoming, but they're not exactly hostile either, which means they have grown used with the idea of her being around for a while, giving her the possibility of biting into her pride and keeping it in place as she starts a conversation with them she hopes won't end after a few exchanged sentences. That would be awkward and she hates awkward the most.

"Hi there, guys." She says in a small tone, tilting her head to the right to look at all of them. At first, they don't show any obvious reaction to her words, but slowly, the start saying 'hi' to her, other more interested than the others and it's good enough for her to feel confident again.

"What do ya want to drink?" Caroline's voice makes her turn her head in her direction, chuckling when she sees her supporting her chin in her hand as she looks at her, rather bored. Cerise pursues her lips, thinking a little bit about it. She doesn't know if she actually wants to get drunk, a little bit tipsy and let loose or just keep a clear heard. She decides that it doesn't matter and shrugs her shoulders.

"Just fuck me up." But she doesn't have the time to actually grin or look smug, for she is overwhelmed by a fit of giggles that escalate in a full blown laughter session, Caroline following suit and slapping her thigh. She really loves the fact that Caroline somehow gets her sense of humour. It just makes everything easier.

"Got it." Caroline nods, still giggling as she stands up and goes to the bar.

It's silent while she's away, not one of them daring to say anything and she has made her own effort. It's their fault if they decide to be hard and not cut her some slack. Fortunately for both parties, Caroline returns shortly with a glass of something that once she brings her nose close to it, it burns her nostrils and realizes is bourbon.

Cerise raises a perfectly-shaped eyebrow at her. "Really, Caroline? Really?"

She can't actually be upset at her choice, for Caroline is smiling at her and her smiles are so beautiful and so bloody addicting that she finds herself doing the same. Her smile is wiped off her face, however, when she takes a larger sip than intended from her drink, sending her into a coughing fit as she searches a napkin with her fingers on the table. She can hear some snickers and some side comments on it, but she is trying too hard not to laugh and make herself choke harder to actually turn around and say something about their extremely rude behavior.

Caroline pats her back with a worried expression on her face that has some strikes of amusement. Cerise can't actually blame her for that. Heck, even she wants to laugh outloud at her reaction.

"I didn't expect my words to be taken the literal way by whatever deity was listening." She's grateful she has the common sense to get out of the way and shrug Caroline's hand off her, for she would have certainly ended up with a bruised or even broken bone by the way she laughs and hits the table with her hand, the drinks jumping slightly up the air and some even spilling some of its content over the rim of the glass.

Yeah, she's really grateful for having Caroline in her life.

/

After a few more jokes, extra-strong drinks and side comments, the gang engages in a conversation with Cerise. They're talking about trivial things, asking her question about her previous whereabouts and trying not to show their doubt about some of the things she's saying. Cerise takes it as a very important first step towards a bright future, even if they're still acting somewhat hostile towards her. She considers she has enough time to try and change that.

"I was actually planning on heading to London when Brandon called me, so excited he could barely articulate some of the words properly, and telling me to drop everything and head to Mystic Falls because he had arranged for me to stay with some of his friends." She says in an amused voice as she takes a sip of her coke, having given up on her plan of getting drunk.

"And you didn't find anything weird with that?" Bonnie, she assumes, pipes up.

"Brandon is impulsive, like I have said before, but he knows what is dangerous and what is not. He would never put me in a situation he knows I could never handle." Cerise makes sure to keep her voice calm and not give into the irritation she feels. They are just so fucking curious about things she knows normally arouse such feelings, but she just can't shake of the impression they are like this even more so with her.

"Good for you, Barbie! Finally found somebody as gullible as you!" Damon finally says, after hours of biting back his words, leaning forward and patting Caroline's shoulder in a mocking way.

Cerise has been warned about Damon's tactless self and the way he handles things. Caroline made sure to give her some details about each and every one of her friends, mentoring her in what she should and not react and expect of them, but that doesn't mean that the gesture is something Cerise doesn't find absolutely disrespectful. Just as Damon couldn't keep himself from being an ass anymore, she can't keep herself from being her temperamental self, not thinking twice about chugging her drink at his face and watching some of the coke drip on the surface of the table as she takes in the astonished expressions of the people around her.

"You really are a fucking ass, aren't ya? So full of yourself. Well, let me fucking tell you something, you mother fucker. Making jokes at the expense of others just to make sure your bad-boy image remains intact, just to fucking make sure you have a word in a fucking conversation and nobody has forgotten about your goddamn pitiful existence is something that doesn't sit well with most people. While these people" she stops to open her arms and gesture at the rest of the gang, "may be able to sit down and watch you being your usual despising self, I can't. You don't scare me, or intimidate me, or even have a chance at actually being anything but an asshole to me. "

She takes in a deep breath, her chest heaving up and down and it takes her few seconds to come to the realization that she has stood up during her speech and that the local has suddenly turned quiet and nothing can be heard besides her jerky breathing. She didn't expect the paroxysm of anger to take over her so easily, for she has always been capable of hiding her true emotions, of putting on a smile and pretend she isn't chocking on all the remarks that were tickling her throat to let them out. Cerise could easily blame it all on the alcohol, but she knows that would be just a fragment of the truth and she doesn't want to hide behind the mask of a doll no longer.

"Come on, Caroline. We're done here." Cerise makes sure to scoff one more time in the direction of the blue-eyed vampire, before she gathers all of her stuff and gabs Caroline's wrist, who is just as astonished at her reaction as the rest of them all. Cerise pulls her out of her seat and makes her way to the entrance door, not throwing one glance back to see that the rest of the gang are trying their best to hold Damon down, Damon who is barking threats at her back about the things he's going to do with her when he catches her alone, threats that fall to deaf ears.

When they reach the parking lot, Cerise finally finds it in her to turn around and stare at Caroline, almost giggling when she sees her blank expression. But her amusement shortly disappears when she realizes that her friend is obviously incapable of driving the car, too distracted to take in the details and the twists on the road, and so, with a sigh, she starts patting her pockets until she finds the keys to the car she took with her, dragging her again.

She pushes her into the passenger's seat before slipping into the one assigned to the driver's, starting the engine and making sure they are going at a slow speed, for she is still tipsy and her reflexes are obviously not as strong as usually. They reach the house in a few minutes, in complete silent, none of them having found the courage or the right words to address what happened in the bar just moments ago. Cerise is actually thankful when Caroline gets out of the car on her own. Her arms are numb and she is so goddamn tired. She doesn't think she would've been capable of dragging the female any more.

They only start talking when they reach the top of the stairs and Caroline initiates a conversation by letting out a very loud 'wow' that startles the fuck out of Cerise who quickly turns around and pushes her into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. There's nobody to actually listen to them, but it has become a habit and she doesn't intend on getting rid of it any time soon.

They stare at each other in silence for a few seconds, Cerise sporting a sheepish, nowhere near apologetic expression, and Caroline one of sheer amusement and incredulity and it doesn't take long for both girls to burst out laughing, throwing their heads back (cerise ignores the stinging pain in the back of her head that resulted after the harsh contact with the door she forgot she was basically leaning against) and pointing their fingers at each other because of their incapability of forming any words.

They stop only when the muscles of their tummies hurt so badly they have to bend forward and wraps their arms around it. Their lungs are protesting against the action and they struggle to get some air into them. Even Caroline does so, Caroline who doesn't need oxygen to survive, but she somehow forgets about that detail whenever she is around the girl. She is thankful for that, so thankful she doesn't think she will ever admit it to Cerise's face.

"My god, I fucked up didn't I?" Cerise says between intakes of breath as she stares at Caroline.

"Hell yeah."

"Good"

And off they are again, finding the strength in them to crawl into Cerise's bed before collapsing on the mattress and laughing again, glad that they don't really have to worry about waking anyone up or bothering anyone. And they don't even question it in the morning when they wake up and Cerise is hugging and quite frankly drooling on Caroline's legs, holding onto them as the girl is halfway on the floor, her back bent in painful positions she feels the aftermath of only for seconds. Cerise is jealous of her because of that and throws a pillow at her to show her disagreement before jumping out of bed and trying to beat Caroline to the bathroom.

They both never thought about the things going through Damon's head or exactly what the others might be thinking about Cerise's behavior.

a/n: aaand, here is the fourth and the longest as of yet chapter of the series! Damon obviously didn't make a good impression on Cerise at all and Cerise just couldn't sit around and allow him to make a joke out of her friend. I wanted to show how quickly Care and Cerise bounded and how, Cerise, actually cares about her despite not having spent that much time around the girl. Also, the gang's hostile behavior towards Cerise is both expected and rude. Nothing ended well when someone new came to town. That doesn't mean they are excused, though.


	5. v no light no light

She wakes up with a sore back, alone on her queen-sized bed she's pretty sure she shared with Caroline the night before, with a very dry throat and a dire need of some water to quench the thirst she's feeling out of a sudden.

Cerise throws her legs over the edge of the bed, stretching a little bit and moaning, feeling her muscles expand and bones cracking at the sudden movement, thing that she can say that isn't pleasant to hear for sure. The house is eerily quiet and there's not a sound besides the squeaking of the floor boards under her weight to keep her from coming up with the worst scenarios her fuzzy mind is capable of conceiving. She takes small steps towards the kitchen, descending down the stairs as if she's on a red carpet and there are cameras following her every move, ready to laugh when she trips or when she miscalculates the steps, with daggers in their teeth and claws for fingers that sink in her back and guide her down the road. She walks to the kitchen in her past persona, allowing herself to be her true self for the first time since her arrival in the little town that will never compare to the cities she has at her feet, who yell her name in airports and in salons when women get their hair done just like hers to try and pass as a poor replica of the true queen.

This charade of hers stops, however, once she feels the cold tiles under her feet, bringing her back to reality and making her snap her eyes open as if she's getting out of rabbit's hole, as if she's been trapped for an eternity too long in a reality that isn't quite hers. She shakes off the thoughts of the life she has taken a break from, the life she was forced to depart with because her friends claim it has turned toxic for her, 'you no longer smile', they say, as if they know what her true smiles look like. Cerise opens the fridge, taking a bottle of water and opening it, gulping down more than half of it in one go, pulling it away from her lips seconds after to catch her breath, for she has turned red to the cheeks in a way that is anything but alluring right now. She listens for sounds, for life in the house, even one that reeks of death and of carnage, but finds none, sighing dejectedly because of that. She leans against the table, staring at nothing in particular and trying to come up with a battle strategy to tackle the day with. She needs to do something other than cling to Caroline in a very desperate attempt, to finally clench her jaw and step into the new world she has been thrown into, to face the people she had insulted last night and ultimately—face the consequences that came with her rash behavior.

So, she pushes herself away from the table, placing the bottle on its surface and sauntering back to her room, almost tripping over the last stair she forgot was there, a curse slipping past her lips and echoing in the empty house. Cerise regains her balance, opening the door to her room and going straight to the wardrobe that is smaller than the one she has at home and bigger than the one she would've needed to place all of her belongings in, skimming the clothes she has in it and opting for a casual outfit yet again, consisting of a pair of dark jeans, a black wifebeater and a cardigan to put over it in case the weather is colder than she had assumed when she looked out of the window.

It doesn't take her long to get ready, simply because there's no one to watch her and judge her every mover and she's pretty darn sure the people in the town couldn't care less about the shade of her lipstick and how accurate her winged eyeliner is. She just slaps on some makeup on her face, slips into her sneakers and heads out of the house, locking the door before her and jogging away from the property, her pony tail swinging with each of her move. She smiles slightly at the people she passes, trying not to be brought down by their lack of acknowledgement. Cerise is making her way to the Grill, having remembered hearing Caroline talking about how it serves food besides alcoholic beverages, and considering she didn't eat anything for breakfast because of her awful culinary skills, she thinks it's her best shot at getting her stomach full.

And thus, Cerise takes the same route as last night, only that this time, she takes her time observing the buildings and the monotone feeling they give her, the normality that almost makes her choke on her own spit because of how out of place she feels.

/

She enters the Grill with rebellious strands of hair sticking to her sweaty forehead, her chest heaving up and down with each harsh breath she intakes while trying to tame her restless lungs that still fight against the damage the unexpected run in the morning have made. She enters the grill and goes to the closest free booth she spots, slipping in one of the chairs and clicking her tongue as she looks around the bar, happy to see that not many people are gathered here, opposite to the busy night yesterday was. She's even gladder she doesn't stop any of Caroline's friends for she doesn't have an excuse to give them for her behavior and she scowls at the thought of even having to give them any when Damon was obviously the one in the wrong. And they were as well for not having said anything.

She hears footsteps nearing her table and she, without knowing, is already reciting her order in her head lest she fucks up and stutters in front of the unknown boy she's really fucking sure she will encounter again, and without even meaning to, she says it out loud, only realizing her mistake when it is already a minute too late.

"Fries and a coke with ice, please"

Shit, fuck, balls, shitting fucking balls.

"Very wise pick, love."

It's only when she hears the amused voice that she raises her gaze from the table, staring at the man for a second before narrowing her eyes when she sees he is dressed a little bit too casual, sporting an arrogant aura around him with no name on her shirt to be one of the waiters. The man doesn't give her the time to say something or even protest for he has already slipped in the seat across of hers, looking at her dead in the eyes without as much as wavering while she is close to shaking. She didn't fucking expect somebody new to approach her here. Especially not having expected to make a fool out of herself.

She wishes she had the power to control her body's reaction to the embarrassing situation she found herself in, but she can't and thus, her cheeks flash red, bright under the natural light of the bar. The way his grin grows bigger doesn't go unnoticed by her and she finds herself having to bite on her tongue and curl her hand into a tiny fist to stop herself from bending over the table and slapping it off his face. She is already annoyed by this unknown man and she doesn't even know his name.

"Now, don't look so grim, love. It was but an honest mistake anyone could have made." Cerise takes in his accent, pinpointing it as being British and marvels at it for it is pure and classy and every word is articulate in a way she can only admire. While she shares the exact same accent as him, she has yet to acquire such elegance to her speech. But what she certainly does not appreciate is the condescending manner in which he talked to her, making her scoff slightly at his words and turn her head away from him.

"Do you take pleasure in tormenting innocent people?" her voice is calm despite the annoyance she feels, despite the anger she feels bubbling in her chest towards him and her both. She tilts her head to the right, finally looking into his eyes on her own account, noticing the incredible colour they hold, making her almost gasp. They remind her of the ocean in the summer, when her parents took her into the depth of it and show her the seaweed growing on the bottom of it.

But then, she scrunches up her nose, having to hold tightly onto the edge of the table to stop herself from hunching over and spilling the content of her empty stomach, for the stench of death fills her nose, the carnage in which the man has bathed makes her nauseous, makes her head spin. That and the fact that he is a hybrid. And hybrids, from her own personal experience, are very fickle creatures that are often self-entitled bastards with ego problems. She is pretty darn sure the man won't prove itself to be the exception from the rule.

"Not at all."

She sighs, drumming her fingers against the surface and giving him a look-over as he takes in his appearance, suddenly angry that he can look so good without putting much effort into his outfit, thing that makes it hard for her to deny the fact that he is a very attractive man and she would have started flirting with him already having it not been for the fact that he is a dreadful combination of a werewolf and a vampire and often those like him have inherited only the worst of traits from these sides.

"So tell me, stranger, why have you decided on talking with me despite the reason of boredom? I am pretty sure you have other better things to do, like world domination or some other dark stuff than to talk with a petty human as I am" She waves her hand in a casual manner, almost smirking when she sees the change in his expression, the sudden hardening of his eyes at the way the playful aura has disappeared. She has definitely hit a soft spot.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, hybrid", she says the last word in slowly, articulating it with carefulness, looking him dead in the eyes as he did just moment ago and marveling in the feeling of having the upper hand against somebody as powerful as he must surely be, " I have my tricks. It's pretty hard not to figure it out when you fucking reek of it."

Cerise doesn't give him the chance to come up with a good retort or start questioning her as he raises her hand and watches the actual waiter heading to their table. She gives him her order, waving dismissively in the stranger's direction and watches the boy walk away from them.

"What games are you playing, _little girl_?" Cerise takes notice of his suddenly dangerous low tone of his voice. It sends a shiver down her spine, but she has never been one to back down from a challenge and this is nowhere close to an exception.

"I am playing no game, hybrid. You are the one who came onto me and quite rudely made fun of my honest mistake. I have no business with you or with what you do as long as you stay the fuck away from me and leave me be. Did I make myself clear?" She says in a stern voice, making sure she got her message across. She absolutely abhors having to repeat herself.

"Nobody gets away with speaking to me like that. I will make sure we will cross paths again." The hybrid says after some painful moments of silence, standing up at the same time and throwing her one more displeased look before walking towards the entrance door and finally, exiting the bar and allowing her to let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in.

She really should think twice before speaking up against some unknown supernatural creature who wouldn't think twice about snapping her neck, for the consequences of their actions are unknown to them and by the time they would be aware, she'd long be gone from the land of living.

When she finally receives her food, she can't force herself to pretend she's actually enjoying it, despite the fries being delicious. After some more minutes of lingering around and playing around with them, she pushes her plate away and grabs her cardigan she had slipped when she first took a seat, making her way back to Caroline's house with a very annoyed expression on her face she doesn't get rid of until later that day, when her mood has already been spoiled.

/

She takes a nap, falls into a deep slumber and only wakes up when the sun has already hidden from the penetrating stares of the moon, shielded itself from its love like a lovelorn fool who fell in love too many times and actually loved too few. She takes a nap, falls asleep and closes her eyes at the world and at the things going on because it's the one of the few things she is capable of doing without ending up screwing them up, because someone once told her she's most beautiful when she's asleep and silent and still and close to being dead. And the words still ring in her ear whenever she is close to falling into oblivion, so close to digging her nails into its soul and clinging onto it with uncanny desperation, as if the idea of falling has never been more traumatizing and horrible.

But she wakes up eventually, always does, because beauty is a fleeting thing and she isn't the one with enough power to mold herself around the gaping space between the rules of the universe and she isn't an adequate opponent for the way things are. She wakes up with glassy eyes, a fuzzy mind and fragment of memories of an encounter that turned into something very wrong, full of her mistakes and indiscretions, and she remembers she did the one thing she has avoided doing—drawing unnecessary attention to herself, catching the eyes of the supernatural beings she knows for a fact know nothing about forgiveness and mercy.

She isn't scared, she's never been scared, for she has been dancing along the edge between danger and insanity for as long as she's been alive and it's a survival skill she had been taught when little and still hopeful, still dreaming. She still remembers the way her little arms hurt each time her father tried to make her grasp the bow properly, to aim at the tree and shoot, and shoot and kill and make a path of dead bodies for her to cross because that's the fate of those who have that god forsaken blood in their veins, running free under a sun that doesn't gives off warmth at all and is but the reminder of an impediment doom.

Cerise is pulled out of her thoughts by the noises downstairs. The girl almost trips on the sheets that have pooled around the legs of her bed on the floor, but somehow finds her balance and steps out of her room with a newfound sense of shyness and timidity, going down the stairs in a silent manner, despite knowing that if the person responsible for the sound is a vampire or some other being of the night, they would hear her coming either way. She doesn't like the thought of having someone other than Caroline around her, so she shivers at the mere thought, wraps her arms around her as if to protect herself from the unseen danger and goes to the kitchen, cracking the door open and waiting for the person to make themselves known to her.

And they do so, Caroline does, popping up in front of her and scaring her shitless, enough for her to let out a blood-curling scream and take a few steps backwards, jabbing her hip in one of the table's corners. She brings her hand to the injured area as she lets a string of curses fall from her lips like a mantra, like a prayer, not forgetting to throw Caroline some very hard glares that would make anyone shrink themselves at the sight of. Caroline does exactly that only that she comes up to her shortly after getting used to the intensity of them and getting past the initial shock, putting her hand over Cerise's and adding pressure to the bruise forming at a rapid pace.

"Jesus Christ, Cerise, you scared the Beejesus outta me!"

"I should be the one saying that, Care! What in the world gave you the bloody impression that getting up in my face that way would a brilliant idea?!" Cerise hisses, still in pain.

The blond vampire leads her to the couch and pushes her down on it, apologizing quickly when she hears the gasp of pain coming from her friend. She runs to the kitchen again, pulling out a pack of ice and coming back to her, pressing it quickly against the injury and looking at her in the eyes with an apologetic expression that warms Cerise's hear in a matter of seconds, making her let out a sight and putting her hand gently upon Caroline's head, ruffling her head affectionately and telling her over and over again that no, she isn't mad, but she is extremely surprised and she would appreciate it if this wouldn't happen for a second time, thing with which Caroline quickly agrees.

They stay in that position for a while, not really saying anything, but they are both aware that words aren't needed right now, not when Caroline's hand is flat on her skin, on her quickly bruising skin that is even redder under the neon light of the living room, on her skin that she takes so much pride in and for good reason when she spends so much money on lotions and other things. Cerise might have found this extremely sensual, arousing even had it been another person, but with Caroline, it just feels like unlocking another level of their friendship, one that is even more intimate than the other for she could just pull her shirt up a little bit and see the scars that are now just strikes of white against the skin, slightly jabbing out, slightly swollen and not completely memories.

But Caroline doesn't. She pulls away after a while longer and Cerise doesn't know if it is disappointment that she is feeling. She doesn't question it, doesn't try and find the source of it. She goes with the flow, following Caroline to the kitchen and sitting at the table, right across of her. They both start eating their dinner in silence. They have exchange so much in so little time they're too overwhelmed to say anything else.

It works just fine with them.

/

It's past midnight. They're still up, watching something irrelevant on the TV and eating some popcorn they had the bright idea of making. They slip some side-comments when an unrealistic scene comes up, but other than that—they are quiet. The silence doesn't bother them, mostly because it is candid. They don't have much to say, don't find place for the words to enter their world and they don't try and squeeze any.

But the silence is soon broken by the shrilling ring of Caroline's phone that they try to ignore at first—it's their girls' night in and they've decided to be bothered by no one—but after the caller has insisted for a minute now, they both groan, pause the movie and Caroline stands up, throwing the pillow back on the couch and heads to the little bowl by the door to grab her phone and snap at whoever has dared to disturb her. Cerise watches in amusement, turning her body in such way she's able to see every single one of Caroline's reaction.

"What in the world would you want right now?" Her tone is harsh, annoyed and all but welcoming. Cerise watches her with curiosity, staring at her with a giggle bubbling in her throat, but stops when she notices how Caroline's demeanor has suddenly changed, her body tensed and jaw clenched which means this is anything, but a friendly call.

Cerise turns around to face the TV with a sigh, patting the surface of the couch to find the remote and closing it for good. She's been around supernatural beings for long enough to know that it never ends well when they become tensed and usually, normality is something out of question for them. She's glad, however, that both of them got the opportunity to spend some days in each other's company without having to worry about the other side of this world too much.

She gives Caroline the time she needs to ends the call and tries to act surprised when she comes back with a dark look on her face, plopping on the couch with a groan and bringing her hands to hold her head as she bends forward. Cerise scoots closer to her, rubbing her back and pulling back the locks of hair that have gotten out of her messy bun.

"Is everything cool?"

"No. Nothing is cool." Caroline groans, leaning back against the couch and apologizing when she catches the brunette's hand in between her back and the sofa. Cerise merely waves her hand and ushers her to continue.

"The Salvatore's are throwing a party at their manor for some dumb thing, getting drunk and all and they insist on me being there, because apparently, one of their guests is really eager to meet me. I can certainly say the feeling isn't mutual."

"Well, do you want to go?" Cerise asks.

"No, no I don't want to." There's a pause, the look of uncertainty so obvious in the blonde's eyes it makes Cerise smile sympathetically.

"—but they are going to be mad at you and you don't want that." Caroline merely nods, grateful and yet upset that Cerise was able to continue her sentences.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's wreck a party!"

Cerise stands up, pushing her chest out and sporting the smuggest expression she is capable of, looking down at Caroline with a look in her eyes that means she's up to no good, and despite the fact that every single fiber in her body screams against the idea of being anything but peaceful, she stands up, pulling her in a bone-crushing hug and dragging her upstairs, laughing and thinking about all the things they are going to do.

Cerise merely shakes her head, but allows Care to act like a five year old. That's what friends are for, right?


	6. vi cherry wine

They reach the Salvatore's boarding house half an hour after the call, after running up the stairs and laughing over their ridiculous plans of crashing the party and bad-mouthing Damon. They didn't put much effort in picking their clothes, grabbing the first thing they saw that didn't pass as pajama and didn't have creases on them, considering the little thought more than enough.

Caroline took her mother's car, swirling the car key on her forefinger for a while before they ended up in a bush near the house and had to search for them without Cerise's help, the poor woman doubling over and laughing her ass off at the predicament they found themselves in. After some more little incidents, they finally exit the car, take in a deep breath and wink at each other as they walk to the front door of the damned mansion. Cerise insists on knocking, just to make one of them move their ass and open it for them, to show some faux respect for them and Caroline quickly agrees with her, finding the idea marvelous.

Cerise ends up being the one knocking on the door, having lost the game of rock-paper-scissors. She brings her knuckles down on the wooden surface three times, before taking a few steps back and leaning back on Caroline's shoulder as they await for somebody to open the door for them. They stand outside for quite the while until somebody finally decides to do it. (Caroline almost chokes on her own spit when she catches Cerise's comment about how vampires were supposed to have this hypersensitive hearing.)

None of them show any surprise when the person who has brought them out of misery is Stefan, ol' good Stefan who is smiling at them with warmth in their eyes, making Cerise return the gesture and definitely agree with her previous assumption that he might just be the only one she could like out of Caroline's circle of friends. The nod at each other in acknowledgement, the brunette stepping first into the house, allowing Caroline and Stefan to discuss about something or merely just stare at each other. It's not her business to intervene between two people who feel some sort of attraction towards each other. With that in mind, she descends down the few stairs and enters in the living room where she is welcomed by a disgusting sight of Damon with his partially unbuttoned shirt dancing with a giddy Elena in the middle of the room, while the rest of their friends are on the couch, engaged in their own conversations and drinking and trying not to show their boredom too much.

Cerise stifles the giggle that threatens to escape her throat at the sight. Caroline and she had a better party going on over at their house and no booze or other people were involved. She doesn't advances into the room, waiting for Caroline to pop up by her side which proves itself not to be a long time, for she feels somebody's hand coming down on her shoulder, startling her a little bit. She's used, however, to the vampire's antics and turns her head to face her with a smile on her lips, amusement spilling from the space between her teeth as she signals Caroline to stare at the so supposed 'party' the Salvatores are throwing. Her dear friend catches onto it, the two sharing a secretive smile before making their presence known.

"Damon."

"Barbie! So good of you to join us in our modest abode!" Cerise shudders in disgust as Damon's voice rings in her ear. The sarcasm with which he talked drips onto her skin and burns it, creating little tunnels in which hate flows and she has to remind herself not to repeat the same mistake as the previous night, to be the better person even if it's hard, even if this isn't really her.

Cerise says nothing and neither does Caroline who only narrows her eyes at the man in a dangerous manner. Her face soon breaks into the brightest smiles she can offer to someone as Elena comes running to her, throwing her arms around her neck and laughing into her golden locks as she drags her to the couch, completely ignoring Cerise's presence. Although there should be a certain bitter taste in her mouth exploding right now, there's none. She's the outsider, will be the outsiders for a good while until she or them decide to open up, which, by her calculations, is too far-streatched to allow her hopes to shoot up. She walks on her own to the couch opposite to the one the two best friends are sitting on, plopping in the seat next to Bonnie who has been a little bit more welcoming than the others. Not by much, though, but Cerise has learnt how to appreciate the little gestures.

Which is the exact strategy she is going to use to survive the rest of the night, even if it will end up being a complete disaster by her own standards.

/

The party only further proved that Caroline is literally the soul of the gang, the heart of the party and the happiness bringer. Cerise didn't need any further confirmation. The vampire has put her mark on the party by choosing the playlist, by dancing with almost everyone and forcing them into participating and putting a smile on their face with her antics. She begrudgingly left Cerise out of the picture after the woman has repeatedly refused on drawing the attention onto her (and giving Damon a subject on which he could make jokes) and resumed to sitting onto the couch and laughing at Caroline, smiling affectionately as she continued on watching her interact with her friends. It is tonight that Cerise realizes that no other emotion besides happiness and content suit Caroline best.

At some point during the night, Cerise excuses herself, telling the others that she is going to the bathroom. Stefan stands up and offers to take her to the closest one, but she refuses, telling him that all she needs is some directions and after a few seconds of staring at each other, the vampire gives up, letting out a sigh and pointing at the stairs and at some door, while Cerise is trying her best to seem interested.

She follows some of his instructions, though, going up the stairs and walking in the way she assumes Stefan had pointed at, thanking the lord the door is somewhere down the hallway and she won't be seen taking a different route. After some more tries, couple of opened doors that lead to a perfectly arranged bedroom that smells like the years that have passed by without someone living in them, she finds the door leading to the balcony. She lets out a hiss when the coldness of the night hits her with full force. She should've certainly taken her cardigan with her, but she assumed that by doing so, she would've drawn more suspicious gazes than anything.

Smiling contently, she pushes one of her hands in the pocket of her jeans, fishing for the packet of cigarette she brought from her country, taking out a cigarette and holding it between two lithe fingers as she lights it up, pushing it past her lips and closing her eyes when the smoke engulfs her thoroughly, her lungs squeezing in a rather painful manner. She hasn't smoked in a good while, ever since coming down from the airport. Cerise doesn't know what Caroline and the gang's principles are when it comes to smoking, and so, has avoided smoking in the house or anywhere near them for that matter. She simply doesn't need another moral on how quickly nicotine kills you and how she should quit. She got enough for them to last her for the rest of her life.

Although retreating from the party and smoking is in fact a very risky action, she just couldn't last any longer without smoking at least one cigarette. She has been shaking and being antsy for a while now, always stopping herself mid-way from bringing her hand to the front of her jeans and patting the space in which the packet was, afraid it will catch somebody's attention. But now as she inhaling and exhaling at a rapid pace, showing her greedy side, bringing her teeth down on the smoke and digesting all the death she is willingly inducing in her body, she can't give a damn about the consequences of her rash actions, not now, not now when she is finally being a third of herself, when she can finally cling to that shadow, to that particle of the person she had once been, before all of the shit in the world hit the fan and ultimately affect her lifestyle.

"Has nobody told you how unlady-like it is for a woman to do such a vile act?"

She freezes when her ears finally catch up on the voice, the presence of the unwelcomed person finally making himself known to her, and involuntarily, she shivers. She doesn't know if it's because of the cold or because of the fear of getting caught by one of the people who matter, but it certainly makes her feel extremely vulnerable under the gaze she knows the person has on her.

Cerise finally leans over the railing after taking some seconds to calm herself, raising an eyebrow as she waits for her eyes to get used to the dark. She should've known, really, only by the accent that it is no one from the people in the house, but somehow, in that moment of weakness, she has completely disregarded the hints thrown at her. She lets out a groan, rolling her eyes when she realizes it is the hybrid himself looking up at her with a smug smile, arms crossed over his chest as his hair is constantly being ruffled by the wind in a way that she finds so bloody attractive she is ashamed with herself. While she has morals, she also has the hormones of a healthy young woman with sexual needs and that—is something she cannot control.

"I thought I made myself pretty clear about where I stand when it comes to you, didn't I?" Cerise says, not trying at all to conceal the annoyance she feels. She pulls back from the railing, takes a few steps back so her back is pressed against the wall. She feels the wind whipping at her face in a harsher way than usually and she figures out when she hears somebody chuckle extremely close to her that the hybrid has jumped on the balcony. She raises her eyes from the floor, staring at him in boredom and appreciation as she watches the shirt he's wearing clinging desperately on every single one of his muscles, giving her a sinful sight of what's hidden underneath. He's not making it any easier for her as he leans over the railing himself, half-facing her as his weight is supported by his folded arm.

"And I remember telling you that that will not be the last time we'd see each other." His tone is as amused as his expression. Cerise's façade doesn't falter, the woman continuing on smoking and at some point, she purposely blows the smoke in his way, smirking when he scrunches up his nose.

"Now, please be a doll and entertain me—What exactly are you doing with the Salvatores?" The sudden seriousness he has taken on doesn't go past her and Cerise raises an eyebrow at him, narrowing her eyes as she inspects him more thoroughly.

"Nothing, truth be told. I have been dragged by my friend to their party. I didn't exactly make a good impression considering I snapped at Damon the previous night. Dude was a douche and got exactly what he deserved, but his little fans don't really see it that way" She explains, shrugging her shoulders. "Why? Are you like Romeo and Juliet, or some shit?"

The hybrid throws his head back and laughs, Cerise following him not long after. She finds him laughing more pleasant than anything and likes the way it rings in her ear, not being able to stop herself from associating it to a bird's thrill on a summer day in the heart of the woods. "No, love, nothing like that. Let's just say our history is rather dark, if you may. I like to think, however, that we have buried the hatchet a long time ago."

"Sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night. Although, I've gotta warn you. From my encounters with the Scooby Doo gang, they seem like the kind to hold grudges. Even Caroline, even if she doesn't really seem like the type."

She hears him chuckle halfway through her words and stares at him straight in the eyes as she continues. She furrows her eyebrows, however, when she sees an emotion she has never expect him to ever experience flash in his eyes for a second, disappearing just as quickly as it appeared. She puts two to two and realizes that her blonde vampire's name is the one that has inflicted such feeling on him, deciding that it is better not to ask and to just keep it hidden in one of the corners of her mind as her little, dirty secret.

"Now, excuse me if I come off as rude, but are you gonna bug off or are you gonna join me to this horrendous party, because my ass is less than a step away from becoming an ice ring for microscopic creatures." Cerise rubs her arms, glad to know that at least someone else besides Caroline from this bloody damned town appreciates her sense of humour.

She pushes herself away from the wall and opens the door of the balcony when she realizes the hybrid hasn't moved yes, taking a few steps into the mansion and sighing in sheer pleasure when the warmth of it hits her straight in the guts, smirking to herself as well when she hears the door of the balcony closing and a new pair of shoes accompanying her through the alley.

"You know, I never did catch your name. It is a little hard to continue addressing you as 'the hybrid' in my mind. Especially when I am narrating stuff. It gets repetitive and extremely annoying." Her explanation makes it sound as if she's missing a nail in her system even to her ears, but if she's actually going to try and engage into a rather normal conversation with the man, she thinks it's pretty goddamn socially accepted to be this way.

"You never did ask for it", he taunts, "It's Klaus. More like Niklaus, but most people are too lazy to pronounce it so they go for the shorter version of it." Cerise catches onto his jab at what she assumes is the gang and while she wouldn't be normally affect by this, Caroline is still part of it. She decides, however, against voicing out her thoughts.

"I'm obviously part of this society, so I am going to call you Klaus as well, Klaus." She rolls her eyes when she hears him scoff.

"Aren't you going to give me your name, love?"

"Aren't you going to work for it?"

"Are you implying we will meet again after tonight?"

"It's Cerise" She replies quickly, still able to taste the smugness with which he delivered his last line and can't help but blush slightly when he hears his amused chuckle behind her.

He is such a bastard, she'd be more than glad to shove her boots up his ass.

(maybe another day)

/

She had imagined what the gang's reaction would be to Klaus' sudden arrival, had some scenarios in her head along with some explanations that would leave out the smoking escapade, but nothing that came close to the real thing.

At first, nobody actually looked at her, or acknowledge her presence, thing with which she was fine, cause she wouldn't have either. They were simply too mesmerized in the game they were playing, all of them hunched over to stare at something that remains unknown to her even now. However, when Stefan raised his head with a slight smile at first to welcome her black, the look that replaced that of warmth couldn't be ignored even if she tried her hardest. The boy's face went completely blank, as if not even he knew what type of emotion he should display not that he is face to face with Klaus, but he soon figured out for he showed sheer frustration, boredom and annoyance and Cerise somehow found that intriguing and amusing, with a hint of worrying.

The rest of the group slowly caught up and connect the dots, all wearing the same expression, some worse and some better, which lead to this particular moment in which all are up on their feet, staring at her in an incredulous manner and at Klaus—in a rather unfriendly one. It is also now that she realizes that her chances of being even remotely accepted by them have slimmed down. She finds it surprising that she just doesn't care.

Her smug expression is soon wiped off when she feels the weight of something on her shoulder, her eyes widening with the realization that that bastard of a hybrid has just dapped his arm over his shoulder, pulling her closer to her body, her cheek flat against his side. Cerise is extremely tempted to rebel against such disrespectful and thoughtless treatment by biting his right nipple off.

She can't, however, because not only do her thoughts take an unexpected turn for the dirty, she is rudely interrupted from planning his demise when he opens his mouth and spouts out some words that she takes a while to understand.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here! Old friends have gathered again to renew their pinky promises! Or, as my dear new friend over here calls you, the Scooby Doo gang is onto another mystery!"

Cerise gasps loudly, turning her head with such speed she hears neck snapping, feeling one of her muscles being pulled beyond limits. She really wants to bite him now, especially since she knows that he is sporting a smug goddamn expression that makes him unnecessarily more attractive than he already is, even if she can't actually see him since she is met with nothing, but the high-quality material of his shirt that is too thin for her licking for she sees a little patch of skin, only further fueling her previous dirty thoughts.

She calms down a notch when she hears a giggle in the room, soon realizing that Caroline still finds this situation amusing. Cerise had been worried for a moment that coming down with Klaus might be interpreted as a betray by Caroline since she knows the two must have some sort of history, and not knowing what type of history has her walking on thin ice. Caroline's reaction to Klaus' behavior calmed her, however.

"Klaus. What an unwelcomed surprise." Bonnie, she thinks, says, making Cerise's head turn back towards the crowd.

Some have taken their places on the couch after they have cooled off a little bit, knowing that right now Klaus is no threat. She thinks that the two parties must have had a rough start, but somehow ended up being capable of breathing the same air without actually wanting to snap each other's neck. She also knows that old habits die hard and you never do get rid of the seed of doubt that you water in your heart with each suspicious action of the person in discussion.

Klaus suddenly moves forward and by association, so does Cerise who is getting really tired of having his arm over her neck, especially since he has decided to be a little naughty and is playing with a lock of her hair, not so subtly touching the sensitive skin behind her ear and on the meeting spot between her neck and her shoulder. She is very much aware of the fact that he is doing this on purpose, to try and get a reaction out of her that will not go unnoticed by the rest of the people in the room and hopefully drown a reaction out of them that will make the night so much more eventful. That's one of the reasons she just grits her teeth and bites her tongue, using every last bit of energy she has on mastering her self-control, refusing to give the bastard the satisfaction of having her in his palm.

(it doesn't occur to her, however, that he might have betted on this kind of reaction and might have just wanted this to be their little dirty secret)

The hybrid drags them to one of the couches, plopping down on it and insisting on having her sit on his lap. The idea doesn't sit well with her and knowing that voicing out her refusal will only draw unwanted attention on themselves, she resorts to using her nails to let him know of how disrespectful she finds this and how she doesn't agree with his actions, digging them painfully into the skin of his thigh through his jeans. She knows that pain inflicted is nothing to him, but he acknowledges this, letting her sit on the couch next to him. Unfortunately, the arm doesn't disappear from around her neck and she is pulled closer to him, so close her head is on his chest. Cerise makes a mental note to make sure to repay him for this gentleman-like behavior when they meet again.

"Klaus, let's Cerise go. She has nothing to do with whatever plan for world domination you have in mind" Cerise looks at Bonnie in a new light of respect and admiration. Her tone was collected and calm and stern as if the man meant nothing to her than an annoyance that she couldn't wait to get rid of. She also appreciates the fact that the two think alike.

But Bonnie's words make her think not only about the new emotions inside of her towards the girl, but about the fact that if she truly wanted to get out of Klaus' hold, she could. She could bite him, punch him, say something that would stun him long enough to allow her to get away from him. She doesn't, however, because as much as she isn't all that pleased with the position she is in, she doesn't feel threatened, or incredibly uncomfortable, merely annoyed and slightly amused by his antics. Cerise knows that he is doing this on purpose to both annoy her and to make the water between him and the group of friends even more feculent. If he truly wanted to bring harm upon her, he would've done so when they were alone on the balcony without anyone to know who the culprit is, he could've done so earlier when his arm was in a much more comfortable position. Nothing in his posture and attitude gives her reasons to believe she is in any type of danger.

"Why, I believe our little friend here is extremely comfortable, aren't you?" Klaus says, looking down at her with amusement written on his face.

Cerise merely rolls her eyes at this. "Very much so. Thank you, Klaus the Great, for allowing me to be in such an honorable position and feel your hard chest against my cheek."

She realizes only when it is too late that she fucked up royally, that not only did he compliment him, she did it in such way it has a sexual innuendo. Her cheeks flush red with the epiphany, turning her head away and laughing without being able to control herself, quite glad Klaus gets over his stunned moment and joins her, chuckling.

Cerise seriously think that whatever goes down tonight (she almost said who), nothing will be nearly as embarrassing and wrong as that.

/

Eventually and fortunately, the atmosphere does become livelier. There's not much interaction between Klaus and the group. They acknowledge each other, but they mostly ignore each other's existence to the best of their capabilities. The gang engages in other games Cerise feels obligated to refuse.

She doesn't dislike Klaus' company at all, likes it even more since he has retracted his arm from around her neck and has allowed her to move freely, without being self-conscious about her movements and their effect on him. She is known leaning her back against one of the arms of the couch, hands propped up on it and facing the man, her arms on her knees. They are having a stare-down contest, one which involves not blinking, and she can feel tears rolling down her cheeks. The game has been lost since it started for he doesn't actually need to blink, but Cerise is someone competitive, someone who is head-strong and believes in equality and she'd rather be damned in hell than back down from a challenge, even with a hybrid who defies the laws of the world.

"Jesus Christ!" Cerise yells in a bitter tone, that isn't all that surprising, blinking repeatedly and rubbing her eyes furiously to try and get rid of the stinging sensation.

"I told you, love. You can't win against me." He says in a smug expression that makes her want to bare her teeth at him. She reminds herself that he is half wolf and the action could be either interpreted as sexual or threatening and she wants to give him none of the impressions.

"Oh, believe me, there is surely something you aren't good at and I will one day find it and enjoy beating your ass."

He merely laughs, not saying anything and letting the silence envelop them. They can still hear the gang enjoying themselves in a corner of the house. Cerise smiles fondly when she hears Caroline's protests about something. She's so passionate about all these little things people usually look over with lack of interest, she finds it absolutely adorable and endearing and she can't help but smile slightly to herself.

She swears she sees Klaus do the same for a fraction of a second.

In the end, he isn't all that bad. Insufferable, yes. Sadistic and up to no good, absolutely, but not entirely a bad company.

He's certainly better than having all those unaccepting glances thrown her eyes and having to listen to Damon's snarky comments about something she had done. She is content with her choice for the night.

(she wonders if he is as well)


	7. vii surprises

It's past five am in the morning and Cerise is still very much unable to sleep. There are simply too much things in her head, too many emotions banging against the flesh wrapped around her bones, keeping everything together and too much has happened earlier.

She came home after staying at the party for one more hour, still on the couch, still with a bored Klaus trying his best not to do something to start the fire between him and Caroline's friends. She thought that it was enough, she had stayed enough for them to know that she at least gave a damn about her to come over. She bid Caroline goodbye before going out of the door, but the young vampire was too into the game or the conversation, or whatever, to come over and to see her go, to offer her a ride home given that she was in face the one who had driven them both.

Surprisingly, or not, the hybrid himself had offered to give her a ride home, but Cerise flat out refused him. She doesn't know him for long enough to inspire her any sort of comfort or safety and god knows what he would've done to her if they were alone in a car. He begrudgingly agreed and so, the brunette had to walk home on her own, swearing and jumping at every suspicious sound that tickled her ear. She can't say it was a complete disaster, but it is certainly one of those experiences she would never willingly repeat again for as long as she is to stay in this town.

Caroline came home two hours after her, opening the door to Cerise's room slowly and pocking her head out, trying to see if the other was awake. Cerise pretended to be asleep for a while, before sighing and telling her she just finished taking a shower, even if she knew the vampire could tell she did no such thing, but thankfully, she didn't say anything about the matter. She simply came to her bed and sat on the edge, looking down at her feet before raising her eyes from the floor and telling her that she's sorry for being so absorbed by what was happening at the party she didn't send her some. Cerise merely waved her hand in dismissal, telling her that she didn't expect her to do so when she had her older friends to take care of. She pretended she didn't see the hurt flashing across Caroline's face.

Now, Cerise is walking around her room, biting and nipping at the skin around her thumb nail, sighing and groaning as she replays the events in her mind. She acted like an antisocial bitch, not even trying to interact with any of them, and this time, it is her fault for the impression created. Sure, it would have been nice if anybody else besides Caroline had taken the time to invite her to play with them, or to at least engage in a cordial and trivial discussion with her, but she should've been the bigger person, should've tried to make her way into their group and at least try to make them like her a tiny bit. And not to mention how rude and unnecessarily mean she had acted to Caroline who truly felt bad about her behavior. She didn't even have to feel so. It wasn't her job to babysit Cerise. For Pete's sake, the girl is a teenager and she is an actual adult who should be able to take care of herself without having somebody behind her to catch her when she falls.

She falls on the bed, bouncing slightly. Her legs are bended and onto the floor as she extends her arms and moves them around on the mattress as if she's making a snow angel. She really shouldn't have acted that way. None of them owe her anything. But then again, there's that part of her that makes her want to scream into their face and tell them that she didn't quite have a choice in this matter, just as them, and that it would be so much easier for all of them if, even for a moment, they put aside the issues they have with each other to the side and tried to act more friendlier with each other. She also knows that as much as she might want to apologise for her rude behavior, she won't. She won't because to some degree she still thinks she isn't in the wrong, because she has her own pride and she doesn't want to give them the satisfaction of making their assumptions of her being somebody week becoming an actual fact and use that against her somewhere in the future.

Cerise ends up sleeping for only one hour and a half before being woken up by her alarm clock, with a knick in her neck that resulted from her having slept in the angel position she was, every muscle of her bed protesting against each of her movement. Not even the hot water of the shower does something to help her sooth the pain.

/

Caroline and her ends up taking a jog around the woods, both of their hair in tight ponytails on top of their heads, swinging around with their steps. They don't talk much, thankfully spared of the uncomfortable silence that could have followed after the last interaction they had last night by the ear phones they had on. Thankfully, when they met in the kitchen to grab something to eat, they acted as if last night didn't happen, as if Cerise didn't offend her and Caroline didn't ignore her for the sake of her old friends and they somehow were glad both of them went along with the plan.

Cerise's anger has diminished, vanished into thin air until everything that was left was disappointment, still so very bitter on the roof of her mouth. It isn't an emotion she actually has the right to feel. She doesn't even know towards what she is feeling. Towards the fact that Caroline had the time of her life at the party without her? Towards the fact that not only had she forgotten about their plan to crash the party, she chose her older friends over her? It simply doesn't make sense. It makes her feel worthless, vulnerable and utterly selfish, a bad person trying to pass as something else and it's unnerving at best.

She got way too attached to the blonde vampire for her own good.

Cerise lets herself drown into the beat of the music pounding in her ear, in the feel of her feet coming down on stones and making screeching noise that are audible even over the turned up music, lets herself become completely oblivious to the presence of Caroline besides her. She wants to erase the memories of last night, to continue on without the reminder that she is nothing but a temporary addition in their lives that will be ultimately forgotten and remains for the rest of her trip here just as relevant as a dog's shit on the side of the road.

She can't push her thoughts away from her mind, to stop them from corrupting her entire being with filthy emotions; she has tried doing so and failed miserably at completing the task. So instead of trying to stop the influx of feelings, she uses them as a fuel, runs faster, throws her hand around her body harder and speeds, passing Caroline who seems confused for a moment. Cerise is glad Caroline has interpreted her actions as something playful instead of an action of survival, for she hears her giggle erupting from her mouth, before following her and speeding as well, maintaining the human aura around her like before. Not long after that, Cerise has forgotten all about the bad thoughts and the profane heart and engaged in a slight running competition with her friend.

The distraction was very much welcomed.

/

They have stopped running when Caroline finally took notice of the lack of stamina in Cerise's body that not even on its best day could compete will the one given to Caroline by her vampire genes and so, have settled on one of benches in the park, Caroline perfectly normal while Cerise was bending over trying to regain her breath.

They've been at it for 5 minutes now. Cerise, after a few more moments, stands up, mounting up the stairs to sit with Caroline, her head falling on the vampire's bony shoulder, and as much as the position is uncomfortable, she can't find it in her to actually move away from her. She isn't one who's very fond of human contact or of people touching her, but certain moments call for that side of her that just needs some skin on skin, and right now is the perfect example of one of those as Cerise brings her hand on Caroline's and intertwines their fingers together, playing slightly with her fingers for a while.

They stay in silence, a comfortable one that is very welcomed after that silent storm the both of them got caught up in. Cerise has agreed with herself that she shall make no references to what happened last night and not hold it against her friend any longer. Caroline was kind enough—or at least had the proper control over herself Cerise seems to lack as of lately—not to say anything about Cerise's rude behavior last night and the one she had shown in the morning. The brunette considers but only fair for her to do the same and let go of the hard feeling she has started brewing for her friend against her better judgment.

"Care, please tell me you've brought a bottle of water with you cause my throat feels like after a very bad night of drinking." Cerise voices breaks the silence, the woman groaning at how hard it is for her to speak.

Caroline falls into deep thought for a moment, before bringing her little backpack onto her lap and unzipping it, hands digging into it, searching, before pulling out a bottle of water, that much to both of their dismay, is hot as fuck.

Cerise realizes she is in no position to complain outloudly about it and snatches the bottle out of the vampire's hand, uncapping it quickly and drowning all of its content in two big gulps that leave her breathless and really unsatisfied, but partially content.

"That's—disgusting." Caroline wrinkles her nose, grabbing the empty bottle and using her skills to throw it while sitting in one of the garbage bins.

"Yeah, well. Extreme times demand extreme measures."

"But still."

"Indeed."

/

After the little break they took, they both decide that they have reached their limits and sitting in the burning sun for so long can do them no good. Cerise complains that while Caroline has a very good reason for the paleness of her skin, she doesn't and it would be pretty rad for her to get a nice tan while she's staying here, and after Caroline brought some really good arguments to debunk her statement, the blonde made a compromise and promised her she will take her to the beach or somewhere they could both sunbathe if she would just get moving now.

Needless to say, Cerise bounced all the way home with a shit-eating grin the teenager would've been more than glad to slap off.

When they step over the threshold of Caroline's home, none of them wait to get to the couch to plop down and lie instead on the floor, pressing ever patch of uncovered skin against the cold tiles and thanking god for this haven he has offered them. No place is as welcoming as a true home is and with that, Cerise cannot argue.

"We really should do something about this laziness of ours" Caroline manages to say between giggles, her words muffled slightly by the few locks of hair that have gotten out of the ponytail that once was tight and are now covering her mouth.

"Yeah, for sure, but not now. Maybe later."

They find it in them to crawl to the couch during their fit of giggles. Each time they look at each other they fall to the ground again, laughing even harder than before and Cerise is pretty sure something very unfortunate is gonna happen if they continue at this rate.

Once they are seated onto the couch, they use some moments to catch their breaths. The silence is only disturbed by Cerise's intakes of air and the faux ones Caroline takes as well. The human realizes that Caroline is still holding tightly onto the habits she had when she was alive and had a beating organ in her chest, a reminder of the times spent in her true element, although Cerise can't argue with the fact that the life of a vampire suits the blonde just as well.

After they both are sure their lungs are no longer wrestling in their chest for air, Cerise lies down on her side, head in the blonde's lap with her hands under it, giving a very appreciative purr when she feels a hand coming to play with her hair. She wrinkles his nose in disgust for a second when she realizes her hair is sticking to her scalp because of the sweat and other disgusting liquids her body has let out, but the motion is too good to thing about such things, so she closes her eyes and lets Caroline go on with her treatment.

During her haze, she vaguely remembers Caroline mentioning something about her being a kitten that has been tamed. She can't find it in her to tell her that her claws are sharp enough to tear everything apart and that they have done so many times before, one hundred too many to be considered a fact worth mentioned. So she doesn't, allows both of them to be enchanted by the fairytale the world has offered them, so deliciously oblivious to the danger lurking outside their door.

They will have enough time to worry about that in the future.

/

"I still don't understand why you continue being around them if they make you feel like this" Cerise huffs, picking another t-shirt and folding it, putting it carefully in the wardrobe.

"Because they are my friends and friends should look past each other's flaws." Caroline says from the bed, doing the exact same thing as Cerise, only at a much slower pace with less interest.

"Friends should notice when the other is feeling extremely uncomfortable." The brunette points out, plopping next to Caroline onto the bed and turning her head to stare at her an examine her facial expressions.

"It would be nice if most friendships were close to the ideal ones, but few are, if not any." Cerise raises her hands in defeat, aware she got her there.

The conversation started after Caroline more or less made a dent in the wall after she burst into Cerise's room, raging about how her friends are over at the Grill and demanded her presence, threatening her they will come over and take her by force with them, not at all keen on the fact that she has become more secluded after Cerise's arrival.

Cerise, having already got accustomed to Caroline's ways of often being oblivious to the effect of her words, took no harm in her words or offence, and instead, patted her shoulders and continued her previous activity of getting the rest of her clothes out of the suitcases that remained full. However, she can't deny that the guilt eating away at her heart had disappeared since. She is aware how much has changed with her arrival and how most of the people around Caroline are not at all pleased with it. She has been ignoring it for a while, but one can do so much before the shit comes upon them like a furious sea.

"They are right, Caroline. You can't just spend most of your time with me by ignoring them. It doesn't help that when you are invited somewhere, you drag me with you." Cerise says, putting her hand on the blonde's knee, watching with a sympathetic smile as she draws in a breath, closing her eyes.

"Why can't they just look at the things the way I do? You have nobody in town besides me and they aren't doing anything to change that."

"I know, darling, but still. They have known you for much longer than I have and they do have priority when it comes to your time."

They are silent, Caroline not wanting to admit that what Cerise has said was in fact true and Cerise not wanting to force her to do so.

"Here's what we are going to do", she stands up, slapping the younger girl's shoulder before facing her. "You are going to go over to the Grill, have the night of your life and I am going to do some exploring of my own, maybe watch a movie or take a bath—I don't know, but I will figure it out."

Cerise brings a finger on Caroline's lips when she realizes she's about to say something that would be most likely a protest.

"No buts, missy. I am going to be just fine. Besides, who says I am going to be alone? I am pretty sure Mister Jack has been giving me the eyes ever since I have arrived here" Cerise's tone is almost lewd as she nods her head in the direction of the kitchen where in one of the cupboards, there lies a bottle of whiskey.

Caroline only smiles slightly, looking at Cerise with an expression the latter can't put her finger on it and all, and overwhelmed by the importance of the moment, she takes the blonde's hand in hers, stands up, dragging her with her to the blonde's room, opening the wardrobe and shoving outfits after outfits into her face.

In the end, Cerise remained in the house drinking and partying by herself and Caroline went out to hopefully bring some peace to her friends' minds. But never are things what they seem, just as Cerise didn't stay all night in the house and how Caroline didn't quite succeed into calming her friends down.

/

The moment Cerise enters the shower room and feels the hot water hitting her back, her head is thrown back and an appreciative moan escapes her. She has always felt something purifying in having water drip down her body, as if all her wrong deeds came out of her body, oozing and spurting out of her nose with each intake of air. It's not much of a difference between being in a confessional booth and taking a shower for her.

She turns and twists in the shower, hands in her hair, fingers trying to untangle the knots that have formed before moving all over the exposed skin. Her hands travel over it, burning each detail in her mind, a map of sorts to her she wishes to never forget. It feels like the first time she has explored her move and every crevice of it, acting and feeling as if there are still so many things she doesn't know, so many routes she has yet to take and places her fingers have stumbled upon.

An hour or so later, she's in her room on the edge of the bed, the water from her hair dripping onto her neck and getting lost in the valley between her mounds. She giggles for she is ticklish and weirdly, even more so after getting out of the shower. Cerise falls back on the bed, not thinking about wetting the mattress or getting some of hair dye on it. She remembers how awkward it was to explain to her best friend why exactly there was white towel with red on it after she freaked out thinking she was bleeding when it was in fact just the hair dye.

She chuckles fondly at the memory. Shortly after that she lets out a sigh. She hasn't thought for a single moment about the people she has left behind when she first agreed to Brandon's plan, not a phone call or a text message from them or sent to them and she feels so horrible, the content of her stomach threatens to spill with every guttural noise the makes.

She slaps her knees as she goes back into a sitting position, reprimanding herself for even going there, for letting such thoughts being close to ruining her night. The house feels eerily silent without Caroline in it, and deciding that such environment will only push her into going back to that state of regret, she takes her phone in her hand, surfing through her albums and putting on a song, volume on the blast, before pushing herself up, the towel covering her body pooling at her ankles. Cerise steps out of it, shaking her head to the beat of the song to try and naturally dry it a little bit, before going over to her wardrobe and taking out some comfortable clothes that are also pretty decent and without all that many wrinkles she should worry about ironing. She slips into them easily, running her hands over the material to smooth it out a little bit, before sitting in front of the vanity to take care of her hair and face .

Her cheeks have flushed red because of the change of temperature and the contrast between that and her hair is too drastic for her. She has always been a little bit too pale. She wants to blame it on the anemia or perhaps on the time she has spent secluded in the dancing room, but it's truthfully because the country she is coming for puts a little bit too much accent on the whole milky skin thing and as a public figure, she had to oblige and follow.

Cerise winces, nose wrinkling and one of her eyes going closed as her hairbrush gets stuck in her hair, pulling at her roots as she tries to untangle it. Having naturally curly hair and then having to brush it immediately after stepping out of the shower isn't something she's particularly keen on doing, but her stylist told her that she must to do to maintain the volume of her hair and the shine she has.

After a few more minutes of wrestling her stubborn hair, some more on putting on makeup and making sure her wings are equally as long and have the same height, she steps away from the vanity and bounces down the stairs, grabbing the keys from the bowl on the counter along with her phone that she slips into the back pocket of her jeans and she's out of the door in seconds, door closed and hair still wet as fuck. But it's hot enough outside for that to not turn into a problem and before she even realizes it, she's on a different route leading her to an unknown side of the city she just cannot wait to find more about.

But as she is caught up in that little daze of her, looking over the splash of color and humans, she fails to realize a certain familiar somebody not far behind, watching her every move with an amused smirk on his lips that looks anything but friendly.

She twirls around on the side of the road, listening gleefully to the sounds her shoes make against the pavement and the way her hair flows around her face, whipping against her face, leaving behind red marks that sting, but that bother her not at all. Cerise barely gives a thought to the people around them, as few as they are, and the thoughts or ideas they might get from seeing her rather peculiar actions. She doesn't even think that perhaps because of how small the town is there might be some rumours going around about the newcomers and her weird antics. She just cannot be bothered by such thoughts when she's finally free and going about without having to constantly worry about some unseen danger or pleasing the people she isn't even keen on to begin with.

Cerise is brought back to reality, however, by a sound on her left side. She whips her head in the direction of the noise and identifies it as a twig snapping under somebody's or something's weight. It is then that she realizes she has reached the very beginning of the second part of the woods and that the shadows the tress are throwing onto the pavement are ominous and make her shiver slightly at the predicament she is in.

There are even fewer people around her than before, all scurrying away to get faster to their destination and paying her no attention. It doesn't sooth her nerves at all, if not—it makes her even more concerned for her safety all of a sudden. The sound echoes again, in a mocking manner, making her scoff at the game she has found herself getting dragged into by the unknown creature. She is pretty sure they are waiting in the dark for the perfect moment to strike, to reveal themselves and revel in her fear as their fangs come out, protruding and dripping with the putrid smell of the imminent death that awaits her. So, she does the only sane thing one with enough knowledge about the matter does—she pulls out her phone, mimicking the expression of one that is not only surprised but also concerned and brings it to her ear, waiting a second or two before replying in a tone that is full of emotions.

"Hey, Christine. What's up?"

"…." She turns around, starting to walk slowly at first, without giving any hints that she is aware of the other's presence.

"What are you talking about? Jack is throwing a surprise party? Ugh, he knows how much Marie hates this type of stuff. Doesn't he ever learn?" By now, she has picked up her pace, running her hand through her hair and making sure she waits enough seconds before coming out with another reply. The thing that she is most worried about, however, is the role a vampire's acute hearing might play in this matter, slightly shaking at the idea of the person being aware she is talking to absolutely no one because of the lack of another person's voice.

"…"

"Fine! I'll be there in five. I'm near the woods by your house, anyways. Shouldn't take me long."

She waits a few more moments, making sounds and nodding her head before bidding goodbye to her imaginary friend and starting running as casually as possible, as if it is because of a sudden engagement and not because she is closer to death than she would like.

Cerise has no idea for how long she had been running before the she was finally surrounded by more people, blinded by the headlights of the passing car and deafened by the sounds of people chatting among each other, but she can say that she hasn't been gladder to be in the heart of a city as she is now. She bends down, hands on her knees, mouth open and lungs trashing in her ribcage as they're trying to regain the oxygen lost. Her legs have turned to pasta, threatening to give out under her weight if she doesn't find a resting place sooner and she can't agree more with the idea of finally relaxing and forgetting everything about the dreadful close-encounter she had with the creature.

But not long before she straightens her back and turns to the right to go to the closest bench, she crashed full force into somebody's chest, stumbling back a few steps, completely disoriented. One of her hand has remained on the person's chest to balance herself and keep her body from hitting the floor. Cerise can feel the vibrations in it as the sound of somebody chuckling rings in her ears in a mocking manner and startled, she raises her gaze from the floor, eyebrows furrowing as her mind connects the face with a name.

"Damon."

She shocks herself with the hostility she has towards the man, although not at all unjustified. She sneers at him, retracting her hand from his chest and crossing her arms over her chest, head held high as he stares into his eyes. He seems awfully amused by her reaction and it does nothing to ease the tension between them. It is as if he wants her to be in an ever fouler mood than she is, to see her snap in front of him and see the worst in her and although tempted to give him what he desires, she holds her grounds and puts on a smile full of contempt.

"Shouldn't you be with the rest of the gang discussing very important manners at the Grill?"

"Nah. Watching you finally give into your insanity and losing your composure because of a few sounds is way better than having to babysit my brother and his pathetic friends."

Cerise gasps, face contorting into an expression of sheer disgust and anger. Before she can ever realize what she's doing, her hands come back in contact with his chest, this time at full force and he sees him stumbling backwards just as she had a few minutes, face surprised.

"You fucking bastard!"


End file.
